Westborough board OKs gas station

WESTBOROUGH – Selectmen have signed off on a proposed Shell station at Lyman Street and Rte 9.

The project calls for demolishing the current Shell station and replacing newer and slightly larger facility.

The existing building is 24,000 square feet, while the new station will be about 28,000 square feet, project representatives told selectmen Tuesday night.

Despite the bigger size, the station will have more green space, they said. In addition, they said it will offer better pedestrian and vehicular circulation at the lot, which is about one tenth of an acre.

Representatives said they are already removing tanks that have been underground for 45 years. Those tanks were in surprisingly good shape despite their advanced age, board members said.

Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the Site Plan Review and Special Permit for project, which did not face opposition from the public and had already been approved by other town departments.

In other business, selectmen approved a contract with Options Technologies International for an electronic voting system to be used at Town Meetings.

The Orlando, Fla.-based company offered a three-year plan that includes a discount and varies in price based on the number of voters who use the system.

Prices ranged from $12,908 for 300 voters who use four welcome stations, assuming that the Town Meeting wraps up in one day, to $25,424 for 1,200 voters who use 12 welcome stations over one day. Costs would rise by about $6,300 for 300 voters and over $17,000 for 1,200 voters for each day after the first day, should the Town Meeting happen to extend.

Controversial subjects that inspire more voters to turn out for Town Meeting would raise costs, while lightly-attended meetings would cost much less, Selectmen noted. They voted unanimously to accept the contract with Options Technologies, which offered the discounted prices as an incentive to sign by June 30.

The pitch for the electronic voting system was made by former longtime Town Moderator Joseph Harrington, who recently retired after nine terms but still serves as an advocate and adviser for Town Meeting issues. The most recent Town Meeting, which was held March 15, featured electronic voting under a free trial period. Supporters of the change said today’s voters have come to expect more advanced technology.